The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-04-23
THURSDAY. APRIL IA.

Critics review and criticisms of Wednes-
days work.
element of Alexandria"
was the subject of paper by DR.. Rex
ford, of Detroit. He said: Where are
we theologically Let US get our true
latitude and longitude. What was the
original Christian resolution ? The
Judean compass was true to the relig-
iods nature of mankind. But theologi-
ans have DETECTED us. The Scripture
word is chronicle of previously real
lied order of life-not "given" in the
sense of an arbitrary or external reve-
latiOn.
The Christian Scriptures declare the
eternal immanence of God in all things.
The design of God is educational. He
began anciently to unfold human souls,
and continues forever the process. Gle
ment of Alexandria, was the greatest
of all the early Christians in his con-
ception of God and religion. His time
was the time of the Spirit-the body of
ecclesiasticism had not yet arisen. But
the church fell under the control of Ro-
man thought and sentiment, and the
supremacy of the spirit waned. Uni
versal results cannot issue from partial
causes. Universal redemption means
universal education. Clement was the
Cicilian bee who gathered honey from
all meadows. All things are from God;
all things are in God; all things are
unto God. Clement defended his Christ
ian faith by reason. Christ is the same
in God as reason is in man. Clement
thus denied all conceptions of special
and partial revelation and Christianity;
he recognized universalism of causes
and relationships. Oficialism in relig-
ion is absent from his thought. He
was not like unto modern Episcopa-
liam, loving to be in, the line of author
ity. Religion is natural to man and
he is most priest who can best ad
minister to mans spiritual wants.
The Scriptures are not arbitrary and
mechanical they the literary body of
the Christian consciousness. Men are
not judged to be condemned; but judg-
ed that they may be instructed to bet
ter ways. God works all things up to
what is better. Redemption is not all
in this life; it is the aim of universal
life. If Clement had lived in America
he would have chosen to reside with
the sage of Concord, as the nearest APP
proach to the new Alexandria.
The world is again turning toward Alex
andrian thought of Gods universe of
life. The benignant father of all souls
turns away from all special and partial
systems of belief. And we call upon
him to ''stay, and in the days even
soon to be we will proclaim thy great
love; we will build the ancient school
anew; we will enlarge the borders of
thy church so that we may see thee
everywhere, and that thou givest unto
thy children everywhere of common
love, as they are ready to receive"
Augustine and the Latin Theology.
This was the subject of paper by
A. N. Alcott, of Elgin, Ill. 1t was an
exhaustive treatment of the great
theme, revealing special scholarship
and complete mastery of the subject.
The historical rise of the Augustinian
idea was described, and traced through
successive ages, and the revolts of
thought against itampli6ed and brought
down to our own day. We make no
attempt at an abstract of so careful a
paper, on such large and scholarly
theme. The reading of the papers oc-
cupied the morning hours.
THE Trend of Current Theological Thought"
was presented at the afternoon session,
by DR.. Cantwell, in a paper which oc-
cupied fifty minutes in the reading. We
forego report for the present.
Following was the first special exer-
else in elocution, conducted by Mrs
Edna G. Noble, of Detroit. In be.
ginning her exercise, Mrs. Noble said
The attraction or repulsion of minis
ter's work depends upon the value of
what he has to say combined with the
felicity and force with which he Yields
the instrument of expression. A great
range of differences in effects can be
named-a range extending from those
of the babbler whose voice is a grunt,
and whose movement is jerk, to those
Of the hero who moves like an angel,
and speaks like a god. A minister
should be clean and supple instru-
ment of revelation, free from all egotis-
tic idiosyncrasies. have nothing to do
with freeing the spiritual powers from
prejudices, but will do all that the
limited time viii allow to free the in
strument from contractions. Next in
order was a paper on